


I met a man who wasn't there.

by Enmuse (Scifiroots)



Series: The Courage or the Fall [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Confinement, Drowning, First Meetings, Gen, Hydra (Marvel), Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapped Tony Stark, Pre-HYDRA Reveal, Referenced - Freeform, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Waterboarding, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2019-01-15 10:37:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12319335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scifiroots/pseuds/Enmuse
Summary: New Guy's eyes shifted to look at Tony, but he otherwise remained immobile."Are you in some goth heavy metal band?" Tony continued. "That's some getup you're wearing." He had to take long pauses to get his breath.The first time Tony and the Winter Soldier meet. Set before Possessed by Light.





	I met a man who wasn't there.

**Author's Note:**

> A lot of things changed since the inception of this series' idea. Originally, it was going to be a single story. Originally, Bucky's POV would be told in the present, and those scenes would alternate with Tony's POV in the past. Strangely enough, I kept tripping myself up whenever I tried to make progress with Tony's half of the story. So I threw those ideas to the side, kept a couple pages in my drafts, and went on to focus on Bucky.
> 
> However, this scene is something I wanted to share. Telling it from Bucky's POV wouldn't work nearly as well, so I've done a bit of cleanup, and now you can get a peek at Tony's view. This would be early during his time with Hydra, before the mind gem ever came into play. Torture via drowning is heavily alluded to but does not actively take place here.
> 
> Title is from "Antigonish" by Hughes Mearns (which is used in the movie _Identity_ , which is trippy as hell).

THEN

The first person Tony saw who wasn't supporting a tacky skull and tentacles patch instead wore a get-up that would fit in with the BDSM crowd. Tony was intrigued despite himself, though he supposed any distraction was worth grabbing onto. His time alternated between days of no contact — left alone with only his thoughts for company (never a good idea) and the light of the arc reactor — and time spent strapped down — under overly bright lights and the eager gazes of Hydra personnel.

Tony eyed the newcomer from his slumped position against the wall, as far as he could get from the tub of water sitting prominently in the middle of the mostly bare room. The usual guards were taking a smoke break or something; until New Guy walked in, Tony's only company was Water Woman. She must be some officer, or however Hydra ranked their members, because she ordered the others around and took the role of interrogator between bouts of holding Tony's head below water.

The new addition came in the form of a tall, musclebound man who could probably give Captain America a run for his money. The man wore a muzzle-like mask that hid his face below his eyes. New Guy's eyes were distant, expressionless as far as Tony could tell, and his posture was almost mechanical. Water Woman shot a look at Tony, who she'd been ignoring since he dragged himself to the side, then turned a sharp stare on New Guy.

"I didn't request you," she said.

New Guy didn't blink or change his stiff posture. When he spoke, the voice came out muffled. "The Asset is to oversee the prisoner. Your presence is required."

Obviously that hadn't been anticipated as Water Woman grimaced. She gave New Guy a narrow-eyed look-over before moving. Tony watched as she kept an obvious distance from the man as she went to the door. Before she left, she shot Tony another glare. He waited for a threat, but she said nothing before she left. Tony was able to catch a few words before the door fully closed: "—ears wants a report. He—"

Tony watched New Guy but the man didn't move, rarely even blinked. He hadn't even spared Tony a glance. It felt disconcerting to be fully ignored. Everyone he'd come in contact with during his confinement had kept a close eye on him. They were well aware of who they had and were not giving him any leeway to chance escape attempts. 

As Water Woman remained absent, Tony finally grew tired of the silence. He said the first thing that came to mind as he stared at the man's apparently unwashed, limp hair: "The grunge look really isn't in season." His voice came out raspy and when he coughed, he felt a trickle of water slip out the corner of his mouth. Tony huddled closer against the wall, trying to angle himself so that he could look at New Guy without seeing the water tub.

New Guy's eyes shifted to look at Tony, but he otherwise remained immobile.

"Are you in some goth heavy metal band?" Tony continued. "That's some getup you're wearing." He had to take long pauses to get his breath. His nose and throat still felt burned from too much inhaled water. "Where do they even sell that shit?" Tony's gaze focused on the clearly custom-tailored tactical gear with a critical eye as he shoved aside thoughts of water and oxygen deprivation. "Nevermind. You realize some of that's based on Stark property? I'll ask Legal, but I'm pretty sure I can sue you."

His eyes caught on the lines of silver covering the man's left arm, the one spot of color of his otherwise black outfit. "Is that..." Tony made himself sit up a little straighter and leaned forward to squint at what he thought was an armored sleeve. "That's... _your arm?_ " As he came to the realization, some of his exhaustion receded although not enough to get him upright and across the room to take another look. The silver plating had to cover the arm like a second skin or be some sort of high tech prosthetic, he judged by comparing the bulk of the fabric covering the other arm. "Holy hell."

When Tony's gaze went back to New Guy's face, he was startled to find piercing gray eyes staring back at him. The stare was intense, making Tony feel torn between leaning back or freezing in place. He still had the impression of distance in the expression, but there was also a warning there, something that made Tony calculate possible ways to get away from the guy.

They stared at each other for a long time. The man didn't speak and Tony found he didn't want to risk drawing any more attention to himself. They stayed that way until the door started to open. New Guy's gaze snapped back to the far wall; it looked like he hadn't moved a muscle since Water Woman left. Tony kept watching him.

"Report to your handler," Water Woman commanded as soon as she'd cleared out of the path New Guy needed to take in order to exit.

For the briefest of moments, New Guy's gaze caught Tony's once more as he turned.


End file.
